Urgent!

Urgent! Plot Summary

Introduction

Urgency has become our constant companion in today's fast-paced work environment. The relentless ping of emails, the cascade of last-minute requests, and the pressure to deliver everything "ASAP" create a perfect storm that leaves many of us feeling overwhelmed and reactive rather than responsive. This perpetual state of urgency often masquerades as productivity, but in reality, it undermines our effectiveness, wellbeing, and results. What if there was a better way? Imagine having the clarity to distinguish between productive urgency that drives important work forward and unproductive urgency that merely creates stress and busy-work. Picture yourself confidently negotiating deadlines, protecting your team from unnecessary fire drills, and creating a culture where purposeful urgency replaces chaotic reactivity. This journey begins with understanding that not all urgency is created equal, and that we have more power to control it than we might think.

Chapter 1: Understanding the Urgency Trap

The urgency trap ensnares us when we operate with either too much or too little urgency. When caught in this trap, we bounce between frantic reactivity and burned-out inactivity, never finding the productive middle ground where our best work happens. This isn't just about personal productivity—it's about creating sustainable work patterns that prevent burnout while still delivering timely results. Dermot Crowley shares a revealing story about his father, who worked as a head accountant for the Electricity Supply Board in Ireland during the 1970s. Despite holding a senior position, his father never seemed busy or hurried. He maintained a clear desk, always made time for lunch, and worked reasonable hours from 9 am to 5 pm. This stark contrast with today's executive schedules raises an important question: What has changed in our workplace culture that makes constant urgency seem normal and necessary? The answer largely lies in technology. Email, smartphones, and instant messaging have dramatically shortened communication cycles and created an expectation of immediate response. The ubiquity of our devices means we're contactable anywhere, anytime. Technology-driven media ensures issues affecting organizations become public instantly, creating pressure for immediate resolution. While these innovations offer tremendous benefits, they've also accelerated the pace of business in ways that aren't always productive. The urgency trap manifests in three distinct zones of operation. The reactive zone is where we work frantically, dealing with everything as if it were urgent. This creates stress, mistakes, and burnout when sustained. The inactive zone occurs when we become overwhelmed and shut down, procrastinating and avoiding important work. The sweet spot—what Crowley calls the "Goldilocks zone" or active zone—is where we maintain productive urgency: enough pressure to create momentum without the stress of constant firefighting. To escape this trap, we must first recognize when urgency is productive versus unproductive. Productive urgency creates traction on important work and responds to genuine time-sensitive matters. Unproductive urgency, by contrast, stems from poor planning, unnecessary interruptions, unreasonable expectations, or an organizational culture that rewards constant busyness rather than meaningful results. The key to breaking free lies in moderating urgency—making conscious adjustments to keep ourselves and our teams working productively and sustainably. Like staying in your lane while driving, this requires constant attention and adjustment, but the payoff in reduced stress and improved results makes the effort worthwhile.

Chapter 2: Developing a Proactive Mindset

A proactive mindset forms the foundation for managing urgency effectively. It's not just about working ahead of deadlines, but about developing mental habits that prevent unnecessary urgency from arising in the first place. This mindset values planning and preparation over last-minute scrambling, creating space for thoughtful action rather than knee-jerk reactions. Dermot Crowley candidly admits that he wasn't always this way. As a teenager and young adult, he was incredibly reactive—never planning, always leaving things until the last minute, and rarely considering how his actions affected others. Over time, however, he developed principles that transformed his approach to work and life, principles driven by the belief that being proactive is an investment in his future. This transformation was particularly evident during a trip to Sydney Airport for an international flight. Having arrived three hours early—a habit many busy professionals might consider wasteful—Crowley discovered at check-in that his US visa was linked to his old passport, not his new one. The check-in attendant directed him to an office where he could apply for a new visa online. Thanks to his early arrival, there was time for the approval to come through, and he made his flight. Had he arrived just an hour before departure, as many business travelers do, he would have missed his flight and disrupted client meetings. The incident perfectly illustrates one of Crowley's core mindset principles: "I plan ahead." This approach recognizes that the greater the risk, the more important proactive planning becomes. Other essential mindset shifts include "I am responsive, not reactive" (dealing with things in a measured, timely way rather than instantly), "I pay it forward" (thinking beyond your immediate needs to make life easier for your future self and others), and "I do it right the first time" (slowing down to avoid mistakes and rework). Perhaps most crucial is the principle "I prioritize by importance, not urgency." Crowley describes how our "caveman brain" often wants to tackle what feels good or seems pressing rather than what truly matters. He shares a personal example of having three tasks: a client project due that day, ordering a new iPhone, and completing a high-value proposal not due immediately. While his instinct was to order the iPhone first, his evolved thinking led him to complete the important proposal first, reward himself with the iPhone order second, and then handle the urgent client project. To develop this proactive mindset yourself, start by acknowledging your current patterns. Notice when you procrastinate important work or react immediately to non-urgent matters. Create regular planning routines—daily (10 minutes), weekly (45 minutes), and monthly (1 hour). Practice asking "when is this needed?" rather than assuming everything is urgent. Most importantly, remember that this mindset shift takes time but pays dividends in reduced stress and improved results.

Chapter 3: Creating Systems That Reduce Reactivity

Even with the best intentions, a proactive mindset needs supportive systems to thrive. Without practical tools and structures, we easily slide back into reactive patterns, especially under pressure. The right productivity system can transform how you manage urgency, moving you from last-minute reactivity to purposeful, proactive work. Cameron Schwab, experienced in Australian rules football administration, observes that in football, "it's not necessarily the best team that will win; it's the best system." This principle applies equally to our work. Many people use inadequate productivity systems that encourage either "first-minute reactivity" (responding to every ping and notification) or "last-minute reactivity" (leaving everything until deadlines loom). Crowley recounts working with a busy operations team in a large bank. Despite implementing personal productivity strategies, team members felt constantly derailed by urgent requests and last-minute meetings. Their attempts to work proactively were undermined by a reactive culture and inadequate systems for managing competing priorities. Without a systematic approach to planning and prioritizing, they remained stuck in a cycle of firefighting. The solution lies in working in what Crowley calls "the proactive zone"—not too soon, not too late, but just right. Like Goldilocks finding the perfect chair, bed, and porridge, this approach requires tools that help you schedule work at the optimal time, neither reacting instantly nor procrastinating until deadlines loom. Five key recommendations can transform your approach: First, use one central system for all actions rather than fragmenting your work across email, to-do lists, notebooks, and mental notes. Modern tools like MS Outlook and Gmail allow you to bring tasks into the same view as your calendar, creating a holistic picture of your commitments. Second, manage activities by time rather than urgency. Schedule tasks for specific days in your system, thinking about when you'll start work rather than just when it's due. Third, highlight three critical priorities each day to maintain focus amidst competing demands. Fourth, balance your time by setting caps on meeting time—one manager reduced meeting time from 80% to 60% of her week, creating space for focused work. Finally, turn off email alerts to reduce the constant temptation of first-minute reactivity. The most powerful shift comes from scheduling work proactively instead of organizing it by urgency. This simple change helps you focus on importance rather than merely responding to what's pressing. Remember that implementation takes time—allow at least four weeks of consistent practice before judging results. With persistence, these systems will support your proactive mindset, creating a virtuous cycle that reduces unnecessary urgency in your workday.

Chapter 4: Negotiating Urgency with Purpose

Even with a proactive mindset and system, we must sometimes negotiate urgency with others. This skill becomes crucial when deadlines tighten, expectations shift, or multiple priorities compete for limited resources. The art of negotiation allows us to handle urgency without allowing it to dominate our work lives. Crowley shares a revealing story about working with his business manager, Chauntelle, on developing new training resources. Eager to have materials ready for an upcoming session in the United States, he proposed an ambitious deadline. Though Chauntelle agreed, her initial design work fell short of expectations. Crowley realized his deadline pressure had forced her to work on something beyond her experience level while managing her existing workload. He called her, thanked her for the first draft, suggested they abandon the US deadline, and recommended bringing in an external designer. Her relief was palpable. This experience illustrates how urgency creates constraints that affect other aspects of work—in this case, quality suffered when time pressure increased. Project managers have long used the concept of the "triple constraint" to manage competing demands: time, cost, and scope, with quality sometimes added as a fourth element. The analogy often used is "you can have it fast, cheap, or good—choose two." Building on this concept, Crowley introduces six "dials" managers can adjust to moderate urgency: time, quality, scope, resources, budget, and risk. These aren't on/off switches but controls with settings from low to high. When urgency threatens to overwhelm, turning one dial down may require turning another up to maintain balance. For example, when facing a tight deadline that can't be extended (time dial fixed), you might adjust the quality dial ("what does good enough look like?") or the scope dial (reducing deliverables). One CEO Crowley worked with coached her team to work on the premise that 80% was usually good enough—she didn't want them wasting time on perfection when stakeholders would be satisfied with less. The resources dial offers another powerful adjustment. Teams under pressure can benefit from additional help or resource reallocation. The concept of concurrency—having multiple people work simultaneously on different aspects of a project—can dramatically reduce completion time. The budget dial provides flexibility through outsourcing or special delivery options, as when Crowley airfreighted materials directly to a conference when design took longer than expected. These dials become powerful negotiation tools when dealing with stakeholders. Understanding what matters most to each stakeholder—is it the deadline, the quality, or staying within budget?—helps you make better decisions about how to moderate urgency. One client might be deadline-driven while another prioritizes quality over speed. Clarifying these non-negotiables upfront prevents misunderstandings and allows for more productive conversations when urgency inevitably arises. The next time urgency threatens to derail your work, remember these dials. Rather than simply accepting impossible demands or pushing back entirely, consider which adjustments might create a workable solution that respects everyone's priorities.

Chapter 5: Moderating Team Urgency

Leaders and managers play a crucial role in moderating urgency across their teams. Like drivers keeping a bus in the proper lane, they must make constant adjustments to maintain the right level of urgency—not so much that people burn out, not so little that important work stalls. This balancing act requires awareness, skill, and intentional action. Julie Rynski, a senior executive with National Australia Bank, describes how teams often develop "learned helplessness" around urgency. They become victims of their environment, feeling powerless to change reactive patterns. The reality is quite different—managers have significant influence over how urgency manifests in their teams. Crowley illustrates this through a framework with four key strategies for managing team urgency: Respond, Absorb, Mobilise, and Defuse. Each strategy addresses a different urgency scenario, giving managers practical approaches for various situations they encounter daily. The "Respond" strategy applies when external events create genuine urgency that requires swift action—like a regulatory investigation demanding immediate information. Rather than reacting blindly, a measured response acknowledges urgency while maintaining control. As Simon "Mo" Macrae advises in creative contexts, "when faced with an amazing contract, PUT DOWN THE PEN." This momentary pause creates space for thoughtful action rather than knee-jerk reaction. The "Absorb" strategy protects teams from unnecessary external urgency—like the manager who questioned a last-minute meeting request that lacked agenda or purpose. When the requestor never responded, the meeting never happened, saving valuable team time. Charles, a senior bank manager, exemplifies this approach by backing his team when they push back on unreasonable requests. He actually worries if he's not getting occasional complaints from stakeholders, as this suggests his team might be saying yes too often rather than prioritizing effectively. "Mobilise" becomes necessary when leaders need to create productive urgency within their teams—particularly for long-term projects where deadlines seem distant until suddenly they're imminent. Setting accountable deadlines, explaining context, and using both "push" and "pull" motivation techniques helps create momentum without overwhelming the team. Piaras, a mountain guide who helped Crowley overcome his fear of heights during a challenging climb, demonstrated this perfectly—offering gentle encouragement most of the time but firmly commanding "GET OFF YOUR KNEES, DERMOT" when the situation demanded it. Finally, the "Defuse" strategy addresses situations where teams have developed unhealthy urgency patterns internally. Like paramedics who always walk rather than run into emergency scenes, leaders must model calm, purposeful behavior. They must recognize when they're contributing to the problem through their own reactive patterns and learn to "get on the balcony"—mentally stepping back to ask "What's really going on here?" when urgency threatens to overtake good judgment. By applying these four strategies appropriately, managers create what Medibank's David Koczkar calls "sustainable urgency"—working at a pace that moves things forward without burning people out. This balanced approach allows teams to handle genuine urgency when it arises while protecting them from the chronic reactivity that leads to stress, mistakes, and eventual turnover.

Chapter 6: Responding Instead of Reacting

The difference between responding and reacting might seem subtle, but it fundamentally changes how we handle urgency. Reacting happens instinctively, without thought; responding involves a deliberate, measured approach that considers context and consequences. This distinction can transform our relationship with urgency. Dermot Crowley shares an illuminating conversation with his friend and film director Simon "Mo" Macrae. Mo received valuable advice from a business mentor: "when faced with an amazing contract, PUT DOWN THE PEN." This simple circuit-breaker creates space to consider implications before making commitments. It perfectly captures the essence of responding rather than reacting—taking a moment to think before acting, even when urgency pressures us to move quickly. The contrast between reactivity and responsiveness appears across multiple dimensions. Reactive work prioritizes urgency over importance, makes knee-jerk decisions, operates on instinct rather than deliberation, and often increases stress. Responsive work, by contrast, considers importance alongside urgency, makes measured decisions, operates deliberately, and maintains calm even under pressure. The result? Higher productivity, fewer mistakes, and less stress. A research study cited by Crowley found that emails in a workplace were attended to within six seconds of arrival—an unnecessary level of reactivity more appropriate for emergency services than typical business functions. This instant response habit developed gradually as technology made immediate communication possible, but it comes at a high cost to our focus and effectiveness. To shift from reactivity to responsiveness, we need what rugby referees provide in dangerous scrum situations—a structured pause. The referee's "Crouch, bind, set" commands create space for players to prepare properly rather than rushing dangerously into contact. In our work, we can create similar space between stimulus and response through four steps: Pause (recognize the moment), Evaluate (understand what's being requested), Prioritize (consider opportunity costs), and Decide (determine the best course of action). James MacNevin, head of Asia Pacific for State Street Global Advisors, exemplifies this approach with a clear system for handling urgent requests. He triages issues based on time criticality, complexity, and client impact. For simple matters, he responds quickly to "keep the wheels spinning." For complex urgent matters, he expects people to do preliminary work using a simple construct: describe the issue, state options, and suggest a preferred option with rationale. "My experience," he notes, "is that most issues presented to me as urgent are not actually that pressing." Another crucial aspect of responsiveness is testing assumptions about urgency. Just because something seems urgent doesn't mean it is. Crowley recounts purchasing a new house and receiving an email about signing loan documents before his partner left for a business trip. Their initial panic nearly sent them rushing to the bank immediately, but upon rereading the email, they realized documents wouldn't be ready for 48 hours anyway. Taking a moment to verify actual timeframes prevented unnecessary stress and wasted effort. By cultivating responsiveness rather than reactivity, we gain control over urgency instead of being controlled by it. This shift doesn't mean ignoring truly urgent matters, but rather addressing them with clarity and purpose rather than panicked activity. The space between stimulus and response becomes our greatest asset in managing urgency effectively.

Chapter 7: Building a Sustainable Urgency Culture

Creating a culture where urgency serves rather than sabotages productivity requires leadership commitment and consistent action. This cultural shift doesn't happen overnight, but with persistence, organizations can develop healthier approaches to urgency that improve both wellbeing and results. David Koczkar, chief customer officer at Medibank in Australia, describes their focus on "sustainable urgency"—finding an appropriate pace that moves things forward without burning people out. He monitors this by observing team members in the elevator: those who say they're busy but remain energetic are managing sustainable urgency, while those who avoid eye contact despite claiming they're fine may be struggling with unsustainable pressure. This awareness helps leaders identify when intervention is needed before burnout occurs. Paul Gracey, ANZ Director at HP Printing Systems Australia, fosters a culture where questioning is encouraged—not just about tasks but about the "why" behind requests. This approach allows teams to understand context and better self-moderate timelines. When team members understand why something matters, they can make better judgments about appropriate urgency levels. As Gracey notes, there are times when "we just need to get it done," but having this as the exception rather than the rule means his team mobilizes quickly when genuine urgency arises. The Urgency Playbook, introduced earlier in the book, provides ten principles that teams can adopt to create healthier urgency cultures. These include not crying wolf (saving urgency for when it's truly needed), using urgency with care, avoiding creating unnecessary urgency for others, clearly communicating deadlines, not expecting instant service, using appropriate communication tools for urgent matters, being responsive rather than reactive, minimizing interruption distractions, committing fully to genuine urgency, and delivering on promises to prevent urgency for others. Implementing these principles requires both personal commitment and team agreement. One senior leader shared a revealing story about almost missing an important personal health issue with a team member because of being "too busy." When the team member approached asking for five minutes, the leader initially requested postponing the conversation. Later, when the team member returned, the leader almost declined again before noticing something in their manner that suggested importance. Fortunately, the leader created space for the conversation, which turned out to involve a personal health matter requiring support and reassurance. "I reflected afterward," the leader noted, "and thought how close I'd come to turning them away, which would have been awful." This story highlights the importance of occasionally "getting on the balcony"—mentally stepping back to ask "What's really going on here?" rather than remaining caught in the whirlwind of activity. This reflective practice, drawn from Harvard professor Ron Heifetz's work, helps leaders maintain perspective even amid intense activity. Cultural change around urgency also means examining what behaviors we reward. When someone replies instantly to emails, does that secretly impress us? When someone declines a last-minute meeting due to other commitments, do we respect their boundaries or mark them down? Too often, organizations confuse reactivity with responsiveness, negotiation with insubordination, or moderation with incompetence. By consciously rewarding proactive behaviors and thoughtful urgency management, leaders shape cultural expectations over time. Creating sustainable urgency cultures takes leadership commitment, consistent modeling of desired behaviors, and ongoing conversation about what constitutes appropriate urgency. The payoff—teams that respond effectively to genuine urgency while maintaining focus on important work—makes the effort worthwhile.

Summary

Throughout our exploration of urgency management, we've discovered that mastering this force requires both mindset shifts and practical strategies. As Dermot Crowley wisely observes, "We need to ensure we are in a position to deal with urgency when it does arise. A valid part of any job or role is dealing with unforeseen issues, and you will never plan for everything. But it is also important to spot and leverage opportunities when they come your way." The journey to control urgency begins with a single step—perhaps turning off email notifications, scheduling planning time, or having a conversation with your team about urgency expectations. Calvin Coolidge's insight applies perfectly here: "We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once." Choose one strategy from this book and implement it consistently for at least four weeks. Notice how this small change affects your relationship with urgency, then build on that foundation with additional practices. As you develop your capacity to moderate urgency—dialing it up when needed and down when not—you'll discover greater control, reduced stress, and more meaningful accomplishment in both work and life.

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Dermot Crowley

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